Academic Writing Tutorial: The Main Elements Of The APA Research Paper

Students doing their academic papers have to follow a thorough methodology. This is what makes the work heavier than it is. It is often better to listen to experts while taking such assignments.

Following a pattern

An academic paper or research paper follows a pattern; starting from title page and then moving through abstract, introduction; the actual work, conclusion and citation. It also follows one of the popular formats; they being APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard. APA format or American Psychological Association format is better-suited to Literature and social science topics.

The key elements follow –

The entire work is double-spaced and should be allotted 1 inch margin on both sides. The preferred font is 12 pts Times New Roman; which is also the ideal font choice and size for most blogs. The work should be in third person (to give it an expository appearance).

Multiple subheadings

When tackling multiple subheadings in a research paper, the main heading should be in English numeral; while the main sub-heading should be in small English alphabets. Tertiary sub-headings should all be in Roman numerals.

Thing with numbers

Numbers below 10 should generally be written in word-form; especially when they start a sentence. Numbers above 10 should of course, be written in numeral form for convenience. It would, after all, be absurd to write 1595379 in word form.

The Title Page

The other important considerations are in Title page and Abstract page. The Title Page should begin with the title of the topic followed by your name and your institutional affiliation. Further on, you should mention your guide’s name and finish it with the date. You need to write the page number on top, using the row as a running head to project your title on all pages. While the Title Page has the full title on the Running Head, the rest of the pages have curtailed title.

Introduction and Abstract

You should pay heed to the presentation of the Introduction and the Abstract page of the research paper. The word Abstract has to be center-aligned while the Introduction page has the title center-aligned. Both pages should have concise but clear texts, paving the path for successive work.

Citation basics

When following APA research format, you should also follow relevant patterns during citation; especially when you cite two or more sources on a single point. Also, you need to place them according to precedence when a single work has multiple authors.

Relevant research

Remember that the format only settles your research paper; the actual emphasis is laid by content. Thus, you should be very earnest with what you write or propagate; especially when you take a topic relevant to modern times.